Crime on Campus
by nickersoncrazy
Summary: Nancy's back at Emerson, probing into a case of year-old murder. And complications pile up when she's required to make a difficult decision between the boy she loves and her fiery passion for mysteries. Chapter 5 posted!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So I finally managed to grab some time in between piles of homework and my interning job, but it wasn't enough to think about my other writer's blocked-stories so...ta-da! Here's a new one :) This is my version of a follow up to NDF#8 Two Points To Murder. I've added the last scene of that book below in italics in case you haven't read it. Well, hope you enjoy and please, please, please review!

nickersoncrazy :)

P/S: This story has nothing to do with False Moves. Again, review! Please!

* * *

_He ran his fingers through his hair. "Nancy, I've been thinking about it for the last few days, and…well, I think it's time for us to start seeing other people."_

_The words hit Nancy like a slap. "N-Ned…you don't mean that – "_

"_Yes, I do. I can't live with the way things are between us any longer. You're changing, Nancy. You don't trust people anymore…not even me."_

"_That's not true!"_

"_Then what about Mike? When I told you he was okay, why didn't you believe me?"_

_Once again there was nothing she could say. She hadn't believed him. But did she have to pay for it by losing Ned?_

"_Ned, I love you," she whispered. "Please don't leave me."_

"_I'm sorry, Nancy. My mind's made up. We can still be friends, I guess. Or at least we can try to be."_

"_Ned, no!"_

"_Goodbye, Nancy. And good luck with your next case, whatever it is."_

_With that he turned and walked away. Nancy watched him disappear down a snowy path, her mouth hanging open. This couldn't be happening! How could they break up after all this time?_

_A minute later, he was out of sight. He didn't come back, either. Nancy desperately wanted to see his face one more time, to plead with him to change his mind. But she wasn't going to get that chance, she knew. It was over. For good._

_Turning away, Nancy walked off into the darkness. In the distance, a siren began to wail. A vast emptiness opened inside her, and for the first time that she could remember, she began to cry._

A month later, Nancy Drew lay down on her bed, feeling a familiar surge of excitement shoot through her. For the first time – for the first time in a _month_ – she felt something that wasn't hurt. The conversation she was having on the telephone was enough for her to put aside her broken heart momentarily.

Brushing a strand of her long reddish-blonde hair off her face, she listened intently to the person she was talking to. But her thoughts, her bubbling excitement, were interrupted when she heard the door of her bedroom open. She looked up and saw her two best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne walk in. She greeted them with a quick, surprised smile.

"I'd love to," she said into the phone. "How can I say no to that?" She grinned, looking at Bess and George's questioning glances as they listened in to her side of the conversation. "All right…I'll be there. Thank you."

She hung up the phone, but before she could say anything, Bess cut in.

"Let me guess," she said. "You just fixed yourself a date with some totally hot guy, didn't you?" She plopped down on a beanbag. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"As a matter of fact – " Nancy began.

"That's a good thing, Nan," George said. "You should definitely get back out there dating."

"I – "

"So, what are you going to wear?" Bess asked.

Nancy looked exasperated. "Will you give me a chance to talk?" She sat up straight and smiled. "That was Dean Jarvis from Emerson. And as far as my knowledge goes, he's married. Not to mention probably twice my age!"

Bess looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Dean Jarvis? So what did he want?"

"New case," she burst out excitedly. "And he wants me to work on it." Her nation-wide reputation as a teen detective had always managed to find her a case or two. And she was not new to Emerson, where she had solved numerous cases before.

George smiled. "Cool. What's it about?"

"Well, he didn't want to give much details on the phone," Nancy explained. "All he said was that this was about a year-old murder of an Emerson student. That's all I know."

Bess sighed. "A date would have been much more interesting, you know."

Nancy raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm guessing you don't want to come then?"

"Whoa, I didn't say that," she said immediately. "Of course I want to come. I mean – you might need help and all."

"What about you, George?"

"Sure, count me in," she answered. "Emerson always means basketball games."

Bess sighed happily. "To me, Emerson _always_ means super cute boys."

Nancy smiled to herself. "And to me, Emerson always mean spending time with…" she trailed off suddenly remembering that he wasn't hers anymore. He didn't want her anymore. She was no longer Ned Nickerson's girlfriend. The very thought brought back the throbbing hurt he'd caused a month earlier. She felt a sudden sense of déjà vu.

Her boyfriend of three years had finally broken up with her. She remembered everything. She remembered what he had last said to her, she remembered how lost she had felt. She remembered every minute detail as if it had happened just yesterday. Her heart still ached whenever she thought about him. She had most definitely not gotten over him.

She still loved him.

She still had his photograph, even though her first instinct had been to just throw it away. She still cried once in a while looking at it. Her heart still belonged to him. There was nobody – absolutely nobody – who could fill the emptiness he had left there when he had walked away. Seeing him again would bring back a lot of memories and a lot of pain in case he had found some one else. But she couldn't let personal reasons form a barrier between her and her career. Not that career she had always given the numero uno position in her life. She knew that the pain of facing him would accumulate if she didn't do it at the first chance she got.

She couldn't live like that anymore. She couldn't live simply wondering if he'd ever love her again. She couldn't stay behind as the rest of the world moved on. She had to learn to find a way to go along with it.

George cleared her throat. "Nan, if you don't want to take the case, it's understandable," she said gently.

"Totally," Bess agreed.

Nancy tried to smile. "No way…I'm not dropping a case even before I start it."

"What about Ned?" Bess asked.

"What about him?" Nancy tried as hard as she could to hide any signs of hurt. "He's got his life, I've got mine."

"You sure about this?"

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Of course I am," she said, wishing she were telling the truth.

An hour after her friends left, Nancy curled up in bed, making sure she got some sleep before starting the case the next day. She tried to erase any thoughts of Ned that came to her. She knew that she didn't feel as much for him as before. She forced herself to believe it. She could face Ned and all the pain that came with it.

She hoped she could.

* * *

"Could you help me with my bags, please?" Bess asked late next morning, her arms fully occupied. They had just arrived at Emerson and were unloading Nancy's Mustang.

George took one of Bess' bags and groaned. "What have you got in here? Bricks?"

"Oh, just the bare necessities," she answered.

Meanwhile, Nancy tried to look as cheerful as she could, which wasn't easy, considering how she really felt. She looked around the familiar larger-than-life campus, hoping to spot her ex-boyfriend. She really missed him and deep down in her heart, she could tell that something was missing. _Someone_ was missing, rather.

"Nan?" Bess interrupted. "What's the plan now?"

"I don't really know," Nancy answered distractedly. "We should probably check into our rooms." She picked up her bags and led the way to the sorority house they were staying at.

"What about the Dean?" George asked.

Nancy thought for a moment. "We'll go see him after we unpack."

A few minutes later, they were inside the house, outside the doors to their rooms. George and Nancy were sharing one and Bess and her tonne of clothes and makeup were sharing another.

Exhausted because of the two-hour drive, Nancy tiredly pushed open her door and went it. She threw her bags on one of the beds. "I'm going to take a shower," she said to George who had walked in after her. She kicked open the bathroom door and almost stepped in before she noticed a piece of paper stuck in the hinges. Pulling it out, she opened it. The note that kicked off her new case.

_Nancy Drew – _

_You'll turn back home if you know what's good for you. If you're not sensible enough to do that, I'll let you know that I've killed before and I won't hesitate to kill again._

– _The Killer_

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Half an hour later, Nancy knocked on the door of Dean Jarvis' office, accompanied by Bess and George.

"Come in," she heard him say.

Pushing the door open, she saw the Dean sitting at a very messy desk and from the looks of it, she could tell that the case was already taking a huge toll on him.

"Nice to see you, Nancy," he said with an acknowledging smile at Bess and George. "Thanks for coming." He motioned for the girls to sit down. "I'll get right to what I called you here for."

"Okay, what happened?" Nancy asked eagerly.

"It happened a year ago," Dean Jarvis began. "A student named Lianne Callaway had been murdered and she was found dead in her room. The police were called in and they investigated the college for about a fortnight but they could find absolutely nothing. So they figured that she had been killed outside and the brought to her room, by anyone for that matter. Even after interrogating her parents and relatives, what they knew was not enough to be on the case any longer."

"So it's not yet been solved?"

"That's right," he answered. "Initially, the police were not sure if the killer had anything to do with Emerson. But now, after a year, they seem to be positive that he or she did."

"Why?" George asked, clearly puzzled. "What makes them think that?"

"The police department received a note signed anonymously saying that it _was_ someone from around here. And it was written on Emerson stationery."

"Oh. So there's a student here who knows who the murderer is?"

"Possibly," Dean Jarvis replied. "And I would appreciate it very much if you would try your best to find out who this is. There's already been a newspaper article about the incident a few days ago. I'm afraid Emerson's reputation is at stake."

"I'll do everything I can," Nancy promised and suddenly remembered the threat she had received earlier. "Dean Jarvis, did you tell anyone that I'd be coming here?"

He thought for a moment. "Why, nobody I can think of. But if you were thinking of going undercover, I wouldn't suggest that. You're pretty famous around here."

Nancy smiled at the compliment. "I wasn't thinking of that. I just wanted to know…just like that."

"Maybe Ned told someone," he suggested.

Nancy felt George and Bess looking at her when her former boyfriend's name came up. "Uh…no," she said uncomfortably. "Ned doesn't know that I'm here."

"That's nice," the Dean said, smiling. "You're planning to surprise the boy."

George forced a cough. "He's going to be in for a surprise, all right," she muttered.

After giving George an annoyed glance, she turned to Dean Jarvis. "Does the college happen to have a photograph of Lianne? Like an application photograph or something?"

He nodded in response and handed her a passport-sized photograph of a girl who looked around nineteen, with strawberry-blonde hair and huge emerald-green eyes.

"She looks…" Nancy began.

"…familiar," George completed. She turned and looked closely at Bess. "She resembles Bess, except for her eyes."

"Yeah." Nancy gave the picture back to the Dean and stood up. "I'll get started right away," she said. "And I'll let you know if anything happens."

She followed her friends outside and closed the door behind her, feeling the same excitement and anticipation that she did before every big case.

* * *

"So, what are we going to do first?" George asked.

"Look for Kristin or someone, I guess," referring to a friend. "Maybe she can help."

The three of them began walking to the Theta Pi sorority house they were staying at.

"So…uh…Nan?" Bess said, trying to break the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to look for Ned or something?" she asked quickly.

Nancy's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Why would I want to do that?"

Bess shrugged. "I don't know…just say a hi, that's all."

"Yeah," George chimed in. "He _did_ say that you could be friends, after all."

"He said it, but I know he didn't mean it. He really looked like he didn't want to have anything to do with me at all." She swallowed painfully. "And if you guys are planning on getting us back together," she looked meaningfully at Bess, "it won't work."

Bess sighed. "All right, fine. I won't play Cupid."

Suddenly Nancy stopped in her tracks and looked around.

"What?" George asked.

"Don't you think it would be better if we split up to find someone we know here? We can't just ask anyone about Lianne because they'll want to know why."

"Okay," Bess said. "I'll text you if I find anyone."

George and Bess walked away and Nancy went in another direction hoping to see someone she knew so that she'd be able to start investigating. She sighed impatiently and turned around a corner and crashed into a boy whose arms were full of books.

Oh, sorry," Nancy muttered and bent down and began picking up his books and he did the same. Then his hand accidentally brushed hers and her heart almost stopped. She knew that hand. She knew that touch. She gasped softly, brushed her hair off her face and looked at him.

"N-Ned?"

"Nan-Nancy?" He replied, looking absolutely flabbergasted. He slowly stood up and held out a hand to help Nancy up.

"Ned," she said again, whispering this time. Her heart thud as his hand reached out to take her trembling one, and when their fingers closed, she though she was just about ready to faint. She stood up and he gently released her hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I – I – uh – new case," she managed to say, the words being stuck in her throat at the very sight of her incredibly cute ex.

"Here?"

His touch still lingering on her hand, she barely heard what he had said."Yeah." She snapped out of her reminiscence long enough to look carefully at what his reaction would seem like. She wasn't sure that he'd be thrilled to have her investigating around him since that was partly the cause of their break-up.

"Oh. Okay." he answered, his voice under careful control. "Uh – how've you been?"

_How've I been? Awful. _"Oh, awesome!" she said in a tone a little too sunshine-happy.

"Oh…that's nice," he replied, seemingly a little surprise with her response.

"Yeah." Suddenly all she wasnted was to fell him hold her. Just the way he used to before. It took all of her willpower for her not to wrap her arms around him and tell him how she really felt. To tell him how much she'd missed him and how hurt she really was feeling.

Ned smiled warmly and tried again to break the awkward silence that had fallen over them. "It's so nice to see you again, Nancy. It's been quite some time."

Nancy nodded. "Quite some time," she agreed." She found the courage to look directly into his brown eyes and almost melted. "I think I should start working on the case now," she said softly.

"All right," Ned replied, just as soft. "Bye."

"Bye."

She walked away from him, feeling as lousy as she had when he had broken up with her. With a sinking, heart, she realized that for the first time – truly – there might not be any hope of him ever being in love with her again. She had always been so enamored by Ned, but despite that, there had been times when he had felt like he alway had to play second fiddle to her career interests. And she had no one to blame for that but herself. The ache in her heart; her deteriorating hopes, were accumulating by the day.

She'd walked a few feet further, when she heard Ned call out to her. Turning around, she looked at him expectantly, wondering if he was having the same thought as well.

"I was kind of wondering if you'd maybe want some help with this case," he said breathlessly when he caught up to her.

Her mouth dropping open slightly, Nancy's heart softened. "You want to help me? On a case?" She smiled shyly and felt a little blush creep onto her cheeks. Ned was being considerably sweet. "Thanks. I'd love that...really."

"Great." Ned gave her a smile and touched her arm lightly. "I've kind of missed being a part of all your crazy cases," he added softly.

Nancy's heart began to pound as he moved closer to her...almost close enough for their lips to meet...when a horrifying, blood-curdling shriek cut through the air.

Nancy pulled away immediately and gasped. "That's Bess!" She grabbed Ned's hand and the two of them took off as fast as they could. They followed the scream as fast as they could and spotted Bess at a little distance from them.

"Bess, what happened?" Nancy demanded.

Bess pointed a trembling finger to a previously unnoticed heap lying on the ground. Someone, rather.

Lying in a pool of blood.

The killer had struck again.

* * *

So, that was chapter 2. I'd written it some time ago, and rewritten it atleast twice before my little cousin deleted the file it so I had to write it AGAIN! lol. Anyway, chapter 3 wil be here soon but in the mean time, please review!!

nickersoncrazy :)


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

Chapter 3...finally...

Disclaimer: You guessed it. I own nothing. Except a few random names, that is.

* * *

Her hands trembling, Nancy knelt down and felt for the victim's pulse. She let out the breath she had been holding unconsciously when she felt it faintly.

"He's alive," she confirmed. "Call an ambulance," she said and Ned immediately dialed the helpline. She noticed that the person was still bleeding. He seemed to have been shot in his arm.

"Bess, give me your handkerchief," she said, forcing herself to stay calm and Bess, whom looked like she was ready to faint, handed it to her. Nancy carefully tied it around the victim's arm to prevent any further loss of blood.

"What happened, Bess?"

"I – I don't know," Bess answered shakily, consciously maintaining a distance from them.

Ned knelt down beside Nancy. "The ambulance is on its way," he informed.

Nancy nodded. "Do you recognize this guy, Ned?"

Ned frowned in the dark to get a better look at him. "Yeah, that's Rick Marshall. There isn't much that I know about him though."

Just then, they heard sirens ring across the campus. Nancy stood up and watched as the paramedics did their job. By then, a large crowd had formed around. Police sirens then cut through the commotion and chaos.

Nancy turned to Bess. "You okay?"

Bess barely nodded. "Yeah – I think so."

"Would someone care to fill us in?" a policeman asked from behind them.

"There's nothing that we know," Nancy answered. "Bess found the victim here."

The officer turned to look at Bess. "Did you see anyone around here?"

Bess frowned. "No."

"Anything suspicious?"

"Well, except for finding the victim, there was nothing unusual."

The policeman nodded. "All right. Thanks." He turned to leave but stopped when Nancy spoke up.

"Do you think this is somehow linked with the Callaway case?"

"I don't think this is something I should discuss with you," he replied shortly.

"I'm Nancy Drew and I'm investigating the Callaway case here," she said. "Dean Jarvis asked me to."

"Is that so? What have you dug up so far?"

Nancy told him about the threat she had received and he seemed rather surprised. "I just got here today so that's all I've found."

The officer looked at her for a long moment. "I'm Officer Carter. Please make sure you give the HQ a call if you find anything else."

Nancy nodded and turned to find Ned beside her when he left. The crowd had died out and everything was almost peaceful as it was before.

"Hey."

Nancy smiled distractedly. "Hey."

"I just overheard what you told the officer. You're getting threats already?"

"Yeah, I found it in my room. But the Dean says that he hasn't told anyone that I was coming." She frowned in confusion. "How can that be?"

Ned shrugged and began walking. "I don't know, but I _do_ know that you'll find out somehow." He looked at Nancy and smiled softly. "The way you always do."

Nancy looked away, a little embarrassed. "Thanks for the support, Ned," she whispered.

His arm gently brushed hers as they continued walking together, and Nancy felt a wonderful, warm tingle pass through her. At that moment, not even a case could let her push aside her feelings for Ned.

"I know I didn't appreciate it earlier…but I do now," she said just about loud enough for him to hear.

"What are you talking about?"

Nancy looked into his eyes. "All your support," she answered. "I can't believe I didn't appreciate it earlier."

"It's fine," he replied, looking away from her. "You've always had…more important…things to take care of."

Nancy's heart broke at the way he said 'more important.' But she could think of nothing to say in reply.

"Um…where are we going?" Ned asked.

"I don't know," Nancy answered. "But I think I should be getting back to my dorm now."

Ned nodded. "What can I do to help you tomorrow?"

"Maybe you could show me some of Lianne's old friends and we could talk to them, I guess. And we could go see Rick in the hospital."

"All right, Nancy," he said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ned," Nancy whispered.

"Oh, and Nancy?"

"Yes?"

Please be careful, okay?"

Nancy smiled, touched. "Okay."

* * *

"Lianne was always kind of quiet," Ned began the next morning after breakfast. He and Nancy were walking in the campus. "Not many people knew about her. All I know is that she had just one friend."

"And who's that?" Nancy asked.

"Amanda Slater," he answered. "She was also Lianne's roommate."

"Oh, then I think she'd be the perfect person to start off with." She tucked a stray strand of her reddish-blonde hair behind her ear.

"I'd agree with you, but she's right now in somewhere in Europe." Ned smiled sympathetically.

"She doesn't study here anymore?"

"No, she does. She just got this week off college, that's all."

"Wouldn't she be having a new roommate now?"

"I don't think she does," Ned answered. "But I think we can break in and check out her room if you want."

Nancy grinned. "You're starting to have a criminal mind, aren't you?"

"Hey, don't blame me, that's just all your influence!"

* * *

Nancy frowned with concentration as she slid the edge of her credit card through the keyhole and slowly turned it.

"There." She smiled with satisfaction and pushed open the door. She went in, followed by Ned.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"I don't know," Nancy answered. "Anything."

Nancy began to search in one half of the room and Ned took the other half. They searched for around a quarter of an hour before Nancy found finally something.

"Oh my goodness, Ned, look at this!" she gasped. She waved a scrap of paper in the air. On it were written the words 'Lianne Callaway,' 'Rick Marshall,' in order of which they had been attacked. Her jaw dropped when she saw the next name on the list.

_3) Nancy Drew._

* * *

Nancy slowly opened the door of the hospital room where Rick had been admitted. She had spoken to him on the telephone earlier to find out if he'd be up to answering a few of her questions and he had agreed to help her.

"Hello, I'm Nancy Drew," she said and smiled and introduced George and Bess who had tagged along with her. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," Rick answered distractedly, his eyes fixed on Bess, who inevitably blushed slightly. Then he turned back to Nancy. "What can I do to help?"

"I want to know if you had seen your attacker, by any chance," she answered.

Rick frowned in thought. "No," he answered. "He or she had shot me from a distance so I don't remember seeing anyone."

"Wasn't anyone around you?" George asked.

"No, not that I remember."

Nancy sighed impatiently. Rick wasn't exactly giving her any information. "Can you think of anyone who would want to do this to you?"

Suddenly Rick turned defensive. "No, I can't," he said, sounding ticked off and annoyed. It was obvious that he wasn't much of an actor and was covering up something.

Nancy exchanged a quick glance with George while Bess continued to stare at Rick with the incredibly dumb look she got whenever she was crushing on somebody. Nancy took a deep breath before putting forth her next question. "Have you heard of the death of Lianne Callaway?"

Rick's mouth dropped open. "What – uh – no – I know nothing about that. Um, what makes you think that I would?"

"I don't know," Nancy answered, looking at him carefully. "It's just that the Callaway murder has been brought up at the police station recently and I was wondering if your attack was connected. Are you sure you don't know anything about it?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he said crossly. "Did you come here just to accuse me?"

Nancy frowned at him. "I'm sorry that you look at it that way, but you do seem awfully suspicious."

"Excuse me?"

Nancy sighed. "One more question. Are you and Amanda Slater acquainted in any way?" She decided not to let him know about the list she had found in her room.

"I've no idea who you are talking about," he replied with an air of finality.

"All right then." Nancy gave him one last, long look. "Thank you for your time." She and George walked out of the room while Bess stayed behind.

"I…uh…hope you feel better soon," she said.

Rick smiled at her, and Nancy had to admit, he looked rather cute when he did. "Thanks," he replied.

* * *

Nancy spent the rest of the day questioning random people, at the end of which, she was left with no new knowledge of the case. She caught up with Ned who had innumerable questions and they decided to sit on the front steps of Nancy's sorority and figure things out.

"There's something about that Rick guy that I don't trust," Nancy said. "He got awfully defensive while I was talking to him."

"I've a feeling he knows what happened to Lianne," Ned said. A cold night breeze ruffled his brown hair.

"Yeah," Nancy agreed. "And the worst part is that I think Bess is falling for him."

"That won't be something easy talking her out of, will it?"

Nancy shook her head. "No…it won't."

They spent the next few moments in silence, the bluish moonlight casting shadows around them. It would have been a romantic setting if only they were still dating.

Nancy felt Ned's hand find hers and squeeze warmly. "I've missed you," he said huskily.

Nancy fought tears that threatened to spill. "I've missed you too, Ned," she whispered. "So much."

His fingers tightened around hers and Nancy scooted closer to him. He gently pushed away a tendril of her hair that had fallen over her face. "I'm really worried about you," he said softly.

"About the case?"

"Yeah."

"Don't be," Nancy said and ran her thumb over the palm of his hand. "I've been through this sort of thing so many times that I think I'm immune to it." She laughed softly.

"Maybe," Ned said. "But I still can't help getting paranoid whenever you're on a case."

Nancy beamed at him. She was so touched that he was being so sweet despite the break up and everything that had gone along with it. "Thank you for being so caring, Ned," she whispered.

Smiling back, he leaned in toward her and gently pressed his lips on her cheek, but pulled back almost immediately. But for Nancy, that unfathomable gesture; that fraction of a second, was equivalent to all the happiness in the world.

* * *

I've been waiting a long time for that last part to happen...lol:) I'm awfully impatient, in case you're wondering :) Well, nevertheless, I hope you liked it. And please don't forget to comment! Thanks :)

nickersoncrazy


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: None of my paraphernalia sadly...

* * *

Glowing, Nancy dreamily walked up to her room. She pushed open the door, and saw George and Bess sitting on one of the beds, staring at her.

"Hey there," she said and gave them a distracted smile.

"So…?" Bess began, and looked closely at her.

"So, what?" Nancy asked, confused. She plopped down on the other bed and yawned tiredly.

"You and lover boy seemed kind of…cozy," she said, unable to hide a grin.

Nancy's eyes flew wide open. "Bess!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you're poking around my love life." She gave her friend a mock-glare and pulled her messy hair into a ponytail. "Okay, I actually _can._ But _you_, George?"

"I didn't do anything," George said, feigning innocence.

Bess sighed. "Don't you change the subject!"

Nancy buried her face in a pillow. "What do you want to know?" she asked wearily, knowing that it was best to tell Bess everything before she started playing matchmaker which was sure to eventually end in a disaster.

"Are you back together or what?" she asked impatiently.

"I don't know," Nancy replied. "But he _is_ being super-charming." She smiled at the thought of Ned asking her to be his girlfriend again and heart leapt with happiness.

"So he doesn't have a new girlfriend?"

"I don't think he'd have kissed me if he did," Nancy replied, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. "He's definitely decent enough not to ever cheat on any girl."

Bess' eyes shone with excitement. "So ask him if he wants to go out sometime."

Nancy scoffed. "No way," she said, shaking her head. "I can't do that!"

George rolled her eyes. "Please, Nan, you've chased down real criminals but you're scared to ask your ex out?"

"And what if he doesn't want to go out with me?" she asked. "That would really hurt."

George shrugged. "That's just a chance you'll have to take, I guess."

The girls chatted for the next half an hour, with Nancy slowly feeling better every minute. She loved Bess and George like sisters. They always did a great job cheering her up when she was down – which had been a lot lately – and they were the best friends she could have ever asked for.

When Bess finally retired to her room and after George fell sound asleep, Nancy lay awake, contemplating her relationship with Ned. She slowly drifted off, holding carefully a little photograph of the only boy her heart had ever belonged to.

* * *

The next day, Nancy tried as much as possible to get ready quietly since she didn't want to wake George up. And because she knew – and hoped – that most of her day would be spent with Ned, she dressed up a little more than usual. She ran a brush through her hair one last time, smoothed out the gloss on her lips, and with one final look in the mirror, rushed to meet Ned for breakfast as they had decided earlier.

"Hey," she said, breathless when she finally caught up with him. She slid in next to him.

His breath evidently seemed to have been taken away as well when he looked at her. "You look…great."

Nancy blushed. "Thanks," she mumbled. "You look…tired." She laughed. "What's up?"

Ned smiled. "Couldn't sleep," he explained. "I kept wondering if you were in any kind of danger and…" he trailed off.

Nancy's heart softened. "Oh, Ned…"

Ned shrugged. "What about what we found in Amanda's room?" he asked. "You're next in line, remember?" He touched her hand lightly.

"How can I forget?" She smiled dryly. "But this is just so odd. How does someone in _Europe_ know that I'm working on a case here?"

Ned grinned. "Maybe you're more famous than we thought. Maybe you were in some European newspaper or something."

Nancy grinned back and punched his side affectionately. "Seriously, Ned."

"All right...maybe someone's trying to frame her," he suggested.

Nancy nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's plausible." She turned her focus back on Ned. "But why?"

"I don't know," he replied. "That's what we've got to find out, I guess."

"But if she were gone, who'd be able to get into her room?" Nancy put her chin in her hands and frowned.

"We _did_ get in yesterday," Ned reminded her. "All you need is a credit card and the brains apparently."

"Yeah, good point."

Ned ran a hand through his hair. "So what's first on the schedule?"

"Breakfast," Nancy replied and laughed. "I'm starving."

"You read my mind," Ned said and casually put his arm around her shoulders. "After that?"

"Check out Rick's room," she answered and snuggled a little into his arms. She thought of the conversation she'd had with Bess and George the previous night. "And Ned?" She took a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"Um…would – would you like to spend some time together? Just the two of us?" she asked hastily and dropped her gaze.

"Searching whose room?" Ned asked only half-jokingly.

"I was thinking more like…you know…"

"A date?"

"Yeah," she mumbled and blushed, holding her breath until he answered. She shyly looked up to see his reaction.

Ned's brown eyes sparkled in a way that she had always loved. "Sure," he replied softly. "That would be nice." He squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Great," she murmured before ducking again.

* * *

"There we go." Nancy slid her credit card back into her purse and kicked open Rick's door. Ned looked amused and chuckled under his breath. The two of them entered a room that very much needed some cleaning. They took different sides of the room and began rummaging through all of Rick's belongings.

It didn't take long before Nancy spotted something of her interest. It looked like an old photograph, the corner of which, was sticking out in one of Rick's books. She pulled it out. It was ripped into half, and there were little pieces of cellotape sticking to it. She looked at the girl in the picture who was wearing a black knee-length dress. Green eyes, blonde hair. A very familiar face.

"Ned," she gasped softly. "Isn't this Lianne?"

Ned looked closely at the photograph for a moment. "It is," he confirmed.

"So Rick _did_ know Lianne," Nancy said slowly. "But why is this picture torn?" She flipped it over and saw something written on it in untidy hand. 'March 12th,' it said.

"March 12th?" Ned asked. "What could that mean?"

Nancy shrugged and slid the photo into her purse. "I don't know yet," she replied. "But I've a feeling we've got our hands on a very important clue."

* * *

Nancy rang up the local police HQ as she promised she would. Once officer Carter came on the line, Nancy told him about the photograph she'd found.

"Do you still have the all the details of the case?" she asked as soon as she had finished explaining.

"Yes, we do," he answered.

"Can you please check the date Lianne was murdered?"

"Sure," he said and put her on hold.

After a few minutes, he returned and said, "March 12th, last year."

Nancy gasped softly and tried to contain her excitement. "Is what she was wearing when found on the records as well?"

The policeman took a few minutes to check. "Black dress," he answered. "Knee-length."

* * *

"So what _I_ think is that the photograph was taken just before she was murdered," Nancy said to her friends later that day.

"So the person in the other half of the photo knows something that we don't?" George asked.

"Most likely," she answered.

"Did you search for the other half?"

"In Rick's room?" Nancy nodded. "Every nook and cranny. But we didn't find it."

"You don't really think Rick had anything to do with it, do you?" Bess asked quietly.

Nancy frowned. "Well he _did_ lie when he said he knew nothing about her murder, and we _did_ find the picture in his room. He was probably in the photo and was probably the last one to see her. If you ask me, I think he's our prime suspect."

Bess raised in eyebrow. "But that _is_ pretty much just an innuendo," she pointed out. "You have no proof."

"Not yet."

"He doesn't seem like the criminal type," Bess said.

"You barely know him, Bess," Nancy replied. "How do you know that?"

"How do you know _not_?" Bess shot back, a little angry. "You barely know him too."

"I'm just speculating here!" She took a deep breath and forced herself to cool down. "Look, I'm sorry Bess, but right now I've no other clue."

"Fine," Bess said and smiled dreamily. "He's just really cute, that's all. Cute guys don't kill. I think."

"Well, for your sake, I hope you're right." Nancy smiled back. "I think I'm going to need some help now."

"Sure," George said and stood up. "Do you want us to go to the hospital? Any interrogation?"

"No," Nancy said, grinning. "Help me pick out something to wear for my date with Ned tonight."

* * *

Their date had gone perfectly well that night. Nancy was careful not to talk much about her investigation since she remembered than Ned used to complain about that earlier. They had caught up with everything that had happened in the past month, laughed, even held hands. They had gone out for dinner, and after a leisurely-spent two hours, Ned paid the cheque and they left.

Nancy's heart began to pound once they were outside her sorority house. She hoped with all her heart for him to kiss her.

"Thanks for going out with me, Ned," she said softly.

He squeezed her hand gently. "I had a great time," he replied just as soft and smiled. "You look gorgeous."

The now-blushing Nancy was wearing – after an hour-long debate with Bess – an off-white spaghetti-strapped dress that stopped mid-thigh, showed off her long, nicely tanned legs, and brought out the red in her hair.

She could smell Ned's cologne as he stepped closer to her. Her hand slid out of his grip and onto his shoulder when she felt his strong arms encircle her waist. She moved closer. The gazed into each other's eyes for some time before Ned bent down, pressed his forehead to hers and gently brushed the tip of her nose with his. They smiled at each other before their mouths could barely touch, when Nancy suddenly jerked away from him.

Her eyes were wide open and she looked terror-seized with her mouth hanging open. She took two straggling, unsteady steps away from Ned, and was just staring off into space. Her eyes rolled once before they closed and she fell to the ground, bleeding.

She had been shot.

* * *

Don't worry, she doesn't die! Or does she? You'll have to review to find out! :D Oh, and thanks so very much for all those lovely reviews so far :)

nickersoncrazy


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all SO much for those reviews! Keep them coming, please!

Disclaimer: Oh, must I to keep repeating it? If I did own them then...yeah...I'd probably be in dreamland, lol.

* * *

When her eyes slowly opened, Nancy could feel her head throbbing with pain as if she'd been severely knocked out and the smell of medicines all around made her feel sick to the bone. She blinked in the bright light that came to her all of a sudden, wondering where she was. She heard voices in the distance, familiar voices, but her head ached so much that she couldn't place them at the moment. Feeling something run over her hair, she painfully turned her head to look towards her left, and when she saw him, she knew everything would be all right.

"Ned." Her voice sounded far away, almost not her own, and came out so raspy that she wondered if he'd understood her.

Ned's hand stopped stroking her hair, he looked down, and his eyes were filled with something Nancy had seen before, months before. His eyes were so full of love. He touched her arm, his touch making her feel so wonderful, causing Nancy to wonder if she were in Heaven.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said softly, sounding tired and stressed out, but happy, nevertheless. He took her hand firmly in his and squeezed gently.

The corners of her lips were forced to turn upwards in a smile, looking at him. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying hard to remember what had got her into a hospital, but all she saw was a dark, black empty picture.

"What happened, Ned?" All of a sudden, she realised that his face was so close to hers, so close that she could have wrapped her arms around him, and met those lips she'd been dreaming about for so long. She could have if she had the courage, which she lacked.

His thumb stroked her hand gently. "You were shot at, Nan," he said softly, his ever so warm gaze fixed on hers.

That was reminder enough for Nancy to recollect the events of the previous night. Ned's arms around her, so close to her…and then she'd been shot. It almost seemed as if the killer didn't want her to get back with Ned considering his wonderful sense of timing.

_The killer!_ Nancy sat up suddenly and gasped softly, holding Ned's arm tightly. "The case," she said urgently. "I've got to get out of here."

"Nancy, no," Ned said gently but firmly. Pushing her gently, he laid her head back onto the pillow. "You need rest. Lots of rest."

"I rested the whole night," she argued. "I have to go."

"You're not fit enough, Nancy," he said sternly.

"I don't care, Ned!" she exclaimed, the first signs of annoyance creeping into her voice. "I'm okay, really." She pushed his arm away – the arm that was barricading her from getting up – all her pains forgotten.

"But I _do_ care," he said, his voice raising an octave. "You're not well enough, and I can't let you go. Just tell the police everything and they'll handle it all." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "I can't let you put yourself in any danger."

"Are you joking?" she asked incredulously. She tried hard, but anger took over. "Who are you exactly to tell what I can and can't do?"

His grip on her relented, his heart was pain-seized at such the rude candour in her question. Looking deep into her eyes, he swallowed hard. "Who am I to you?" he said softly, his voice filled with untamed hurt and pain. "I don't know either."

But she didn't seem to notice. "I have to do something before anyone gets hurt!" she practically shouted. "And it really would help if you were a little more supportive."

He'd kept it inside; he'd kept all grieviances inside for so long just so she wouldn't get upset, but suddenly he didn't see the point. "You don't understand, do you?" he asked sadly, looking away, unable to bear the intensity of her gaze on him.

"What don't I understand?"

He sighed. "You have no idea what it's like for me to just sit back and watch you throw yourself into danger," he said, sadness long gone, now with anger. "You don't understand how much it hurts to see you slack on a hospital bed, wondering if you'll ever wake up. You don't know what's it's like, waking up at unearthly hours of the night, wondering if you're lying bleeding somewhere. It's stressful, it's painful, but that's not what matters, is it?" His hands clenched in a tight fist. "The way I feel has never mattered to you. It's you, your clues, your cases, your suspects. You practically kill yourself, and I'm the one who gets affected the most." His smiled humourlessly. "You probably haven't ever given that a second's thought, have you?"

"I love what I do, Ned Nickerson." Nancy said seething, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I'm passionate about it. And if that bothers you so much, maybe you shouldn't bother about me."

Ned smirked. "There you go again," he said. "Once again, Nancy Drew has subordinated me to a career." He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye, his voice softening. "I really thought life was giving us a second chance. I really thought you had changed since your last case."

"I'm not going to change for you, Nickerson." She gave him a humourless smile of her own. "I love what I do," she repeated slowly, gritting her teeth. As her next few words rose, she knew she'd regret saying it, but given his selfish behaviour, she was powerless to stop. "Even more than I thought I loved you."

Trying to hide how much he was hurting at those words proved to be an ill-fated effort for Ned. He searched for something to say, something to make her feel as bad as he did, but could find nothing. He had walked away before, and that hadn't been easy for him. But if he waited any longer, he knew she'd just say something to make him feel worse. It was time to give up on them. "Good luck," he whispered, hoping she hadn't heard the break in his voice, and walked out of the door, out of her heart.

Seeing him go, suddenly her heart ached. All the pain was back as she sat and cried until she was sure she hadn't another tear to shed.

--

Hours later, Nancy had been reluctantly released from the hospital, but she wanted to do something before she left. She tried to get the picture of Ned out of her head, and after talking it over with Bess and George she felt slightly better. Now she was headed to the room Rick had been admitted into.

His face turned into a scowl as soon as he saw her, but brightened up at the sight of Bess following her.

Nancy cleared her throat. "We both know you lied to me, Rick," she began as soon as she was in. "And I think it would be best for the both of us if you come clean and tell me why you did it."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, glaring, yet unable to mask his nervousness.

"This." She pulled out the photograph she had found from her purse, and watched him react carefully when she handed it to him. "I found this in your room."

He gulped. "What were you doing in my room?" she asked, obviously ignoring her accusations.

"That isn't the point," Nancy said. "What I want to know is what this was doing in your room and why you lied to me about not knowing Lianne."

He sighed defeatedly. "I did know Lianne," he said, and Nancy noticed a hint of pain in his voice. "She – she – was my girlfriend." He looked at the picture again and his eyes turned misty. "The weeks before her murder didn't exactly go smoothly for us. We fought a lot and eventually broke up." He stopped and looked at the picture again.

"Why?" Nancy asked, a little more gentle this time. "If that isn't too personal, I mean."

Rick shook his head. "I'll tell you if that will help you find her murderer," he said. "She was cheating on me, and I found out. We kept fighting because of that of course, and also because that guy she had fallen for was a total jerk."

"Jerk, as in…?"

"As in, a complete womanizer," he answered angrily. "A calculator would break if you tried to figure out that number of girlfriends he had. I knew she'd get hurt eventually but she wouldn't listen to me at first."

"Did he hurt her?"

"No," he answered. "She finally came to her senses and broke up with him, and then we made up." He waved the photo in the air. "This was the day we made up."

Nancy's heart went out to him. He seemed genuinely to care for Lianne. "So that was you in the other half?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"Why did you tear it?"

"Because people would think I was the last one to have seen her, and figure that I murdered her," he answered. "Nobody knew that we had made up, and the way we fought would make anything plausible I guess."

Nancy nodded. "So was it you who left that note at the police station?"

"You _are_ smart," he said, smiling wryly. "Yeah, that was me."

"You think the murderer is the guy Lianne fell for?"

"Of course I do," he answered. "And he's probably the one who shot me."

_And me,_ Nancy thought. Something was bothering her though. "Why did you wait a year?"

"I tried not to think about Lianne anymore," he answered softly. "I should have known that would be impossible. I just want that imbecile idiot to pay for killing her."

Nancy nodded. "What's his name?"

"Justin Wyatt," he spat out.

Nancy smiled to herself. She's found a new number one suspect.

--

Nancy hadn't done any more investigation after talking to Rick. She head began to spin, and a terrible sensation of nausea took over. Needless to mention, she felt awfully guilty about the way she had treated Ned earlier.

That night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep even though she had never felt as tired before. She couldn't get her mind off the fight.

She could not help but feel a surge of anger. Ned knew how much investigating meant to her, and yet he'd tried to talk her into letting the police handle everything. After all the years they had been dating, she'd have thought he knew her better than someone who lets every little hindrance stop her from doing something she wants.

On the other hand, the way he cared for her was overly touching. He did have the tendency to be a little protective, but he had never before told her what to and what not to do. She definitely wanted and needed more independence than that.

Maybe they weren't really meant to be.

Nancy banished that upsetting thought from her mind when tears involuntarily began to well up in her eyes. She did love Ned; she loved him with all her heart and she knew that she never wanted to lose him.

The only thing she didn't know was what she loved more: him or her career.

* * *

I wanted to kick in some drama so...I did! I also quite frankly don't know what Nancy loves more, lol. I'm changing the storyline a little bit; it's something I wanted to do for my first fanfic (and it's been writing itself in my head for...one year? Almost) but I had decided against it because I was kind of reluctant then. Anyway, please review! Thanks for reading!

nickersoncrazy


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